Lauren Antonoff
Audio By Carbonatix
Boulder’s iconic Tube to Work Day is going down Friday, July 14, just days after Boulder Creek claimed the life of a woman who accidentally fell in, and mere weeks after two others were killed – one a nine-year-old boy – while trying to navigate the rough and rowdy waters.
The latest incident occurred on July 12 at around 4 a.m., with Boulder Police and Fire Rescue responding to a report of a woman who had been camping nearby and had fallen into the creek. Rescuers pulled her out of the water and performed CPR until she was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Weeks before, on June 15, a woman identified as Bibiana Mendiola Bocanegra, 48, was swept away by the Boulder Creek current as she attempted to help a family member who was in the water, according to authorities.
That was Boulder’s fifth water rescue in two weeks, and the city put out a statement saying, “First responders urge community members to recreate safely in the city, especially around water, which can be running stronger, deeper, and colder than it looks.”
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On June 11, a nine-year-old boy had fallen out of his tube in Boulder Creek and drowned. “We got to him as quickly as possible,” said Deputy Fire Chief of Operations Jeff Long in a statement. “It’s a terrible feeling to not be able to save someone. Especially when that someone is a child.”
Authorities had been urging visitors to display additional caution at Boulder Creek during runoff season, when water levels were higher than usual because of mountain snowmelt.
However, water-flow levels in Boulder Creek are currently not high enough to warrant the cancellation or delay of the quirky Tube to Work Day event, according to organizers and the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office.
Carrie Haverfield, spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, says creek closures occur when the water flow reaches a cubic-feet-per-second (CFS) rate “that is deemed too unsafe for single-chamber watercraft.”
“Our policy is to enact restrictions for watercraft such as single-chamber rafts, single-chamber belly boats and inner tubes on Boulder Creek when we have a sustained CFS level of 700 or above,” Haverfield says. “In the past several days, the gauges have measured between 100 to 200 CFS on Boulder Creek at Broadway.”
The sheriff’s office uses a Colorado Division of Water Resources website to monitor water levels, and “enact restrictions if we meet our pre-established threshold,” she adds.
Tube to Work Day organizers have an even stricter threshold for water-flow levels: Spokesperson Lance Pangigutti says the safety range is 125 to 250 CFS.
“When levels exceed 500-plus CFS, the creek will be closed,” he notes. “We do require extensive safety gear that none of these victims were wearing. All tubers must wear a helmet, shoes and life jacket.”
According to the event website, participants must sign a waiver and are prohibited from tying tubes together and showing up with “a cheap inner tube from Target.”
Tube to Work Day began in 2008 as a joke between two friends. In 2018 and 2019, more than 1,000 people showed up to participate every year, and hundreds of tuber commuters are expected at this year’s July 14 event. It kicks off at 7 a.m. with a parade from Boulder’s Central Park to Eben G. Fine Park.
At 8:15 a.m., tubers will be released in waves to ride the river back to Central Park. A $20 ticket is required to participate, which covers the cost of insurance, medical staff and ambulances.
According to DWR, the Boulder Creek flow rate was at 108 CFS as of Thursday afternoon, July 13.
“The City of Boulder has participated in this event for many years, and that includes ensuring participants are safe and promoting water safety for everyone. We will continue keeping our community safe,” says Dionne Waugh, spokesperson for the Boulder Police Department.
According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Bill Vogrin, the state has seen 22 confirmed water-related deaths this year, in addition to three unconfirmed but presumed water deaths.
Vogrin notes that while many water-related deaths are not necessarily drownings, the recent string of deaths in Boulder Creek is a “great example” of water-safety issues contributing to CPW’s tally.
“I hope everyone wears life jackets,” he says.
